


The Love of Brothers

by RosalindInPants



Category: The Great Library Series - Rachel Caine
Genre: Anal Fisting, Anal Sex, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oral Sex, Overstimulation, Post-Canon, Prostate Massage, Rimming, Sibling Incest, Spitroasting, Threesome - M/M/M, sin verse - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2020-07-12 05:44:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19941163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosalindInPants/pseuds/RosalindInPants
Summary: It's been a long time since Christopher Wolfe and Niccolo Santi saw Nic's older brother, Vittorio. Now that they're all finally back in Alexandria again, Wolfe gets to indulge his fantasy of playing with two hot Santi brothers at the same time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Vittorio Santi is the brilliant creation of Blessedharlot. Thank you so much for letting me (and Wolfe!) share him!

“Think Vittorio will like this one?"

Nic looked up from setting the table to see Chris standing in the bedroom doorway, nervously adjusting the collar of his gold-trimmed black shirt. It looked good on him, as had the last three he'd put on. Leaving the silverware in a pile, Nic went to his partner and took both his hands, bringing them to his lips to kiss. "If he doesn't like it, then he's gone blind. But if you want to make sure you have his attention..." Nic unfastened the top three buttons of the shirt to expose a glimpse of his lover's chest. "There, now he won't be able to take his eyes off you."

Chris's hands flew to the buttons, catching Nic's before he could undo another. "That's too much, don't you think?" His grip was too tight, his tone too sharp. He sounded as nervous as he had been the first time that Nic told him he'd arranged to make Christopher's fantasy of bedding the two Santi brothers together a reality. It had been years, and many more encounters, since that first time, and while they hadn't seen Vittorio since before Christopher's ordeal in Rome, Chris had been excited at the news that Vittorio would be returning to Alexandria. Seeing him so uneasy now, though, made Nic wonder if he should have urged caution when Chris suggested renewing his intimate acquaintance with Vittorio. They could have started with dinner, without any expectations of what would follow. Chris didn't need the pressure of trying to be the man Vittorio remembered instead of the man he now was. But Chris wanted to reclaim life's pleasures from the trauma and chaos that had taken so much from him, and indulging in this desire of his always had given Chris a great deal of pleasure.

Resting his hands on Chris's shoulders, Nic stepped in to kiss his partner's forehead. "Christopher, _amore mio_ , after seeing you like this, I suspect he will spend all of dinner imagining what it will be like to get your clothes the rest of the way off."

Chris looked down at his hands while he refastened the buttons. "That doesn't mean he'll like what he sees when he does."

Nic took a deep breath, gently massaging Chris's shoulders. "He's a soldier. He's used to seeing scars, and they are not going to lessen his desire for you. You did read his message, didn't you? 'And tell that lovely Scholar of yours that I cannot wait to have his delectable cock in my mouth again'? He wants you, my dear. Very much."

A knock at the door cut off whatever response Chris might have had. They got to it at the same time, but Nic's hand was the first on the knob. He swung the door open and held it while Vittorio came through, carrying a well-worn High Garda travel pack that he shrugged off and left against the wall. He looked good, Nic thought. His hair was graying - but then, so was Chris's - and there were a few new lines on his face, but his green eyes still shone with mischief and his smile was broad as he turned to greet Nic and Chris.

"Niccolo! Or should I say High Commander?" Vittorio exclaimed, clasping Nic's hand and pulling him in to kiss both cheeks.

"Only if you want me calling you Captain while we're off duty," Nic said. He met his brother's eyes, then cast a quick glance in Chris's direction and raised an eyebrow.

Vittorio picked up the meaning as if they'd been parted only days, not years. Pulling Nic closer, he pressed his lips to Nic's in a kiss that looked more passionate than it was. Chris liked to see them kiss, and they'd perfected the art of giving him a show with a minimum of discomfort for themselves. Nic felt no desire for his brother, nor, he thought, did Vittorio feel anything of the sort for him. They both simply found Christopher Wolfe alluring enough to enjoy sharing him.

Over Vittorio's shoulder, Nic could see Chris watching them with open lust on his face, a look that was worth every second of kissing his brother. Lifting his hand from his brother's back, he beckoned to his lover, and reached out to draw Chris into their embrace when he came near. Briefly, their three mouths met in a confusion of lips and tongues, and then he moved down to nibble Chris's neck while Vittorio gave Chris a very enthusiastic greeting.

Chris was the first to step back, a vulpine grin spreading across his face. "Vittorio, darling, it has been entirely too long," he said. "I might tear your clothes off this instant, but Nic has gone to the trouble of cooking dinner and procuring us some truly excellent wine. Come, join me at the table." He held out his hand.

Vittorio accepted Chris's hand and bent to kiss it. "Certainly. I am at your service, dear Christopher."

* * *

With three bottles of wine standing empty on the table, the three men sat together on the couch, Nic and his brother side by side with Chris across both their laps, his legs across Nic’s and his arm around Vittorio’s shoulders. The wine had relaxed him, and he looked at ease as Vittorio stroked his hair.

“Still like this, do you?” Vittorio murmured, gently kissing Chris’s forehead. “What else do you still like, I wonder?” He let his hand trail over Chris’s chest, stopping on the top button of his shirt.

Nic held his breath. He tried to catch his brother’s eye, to warn him of the possible danger - Vittorio knew only the barest outline of what had happened in Rome - but it was Christopher who met his gaze, with fierce determination.

“Go ahead, Vittorio, dear,” Chris said, nuzzling Vittorio’s neck. “Don’t mind Nic, he’s feeling a little protective.”

“Hmm.” Vittorio unfastened the buttons slowly, pausing after each one. “If I had such a treasure as you, I think I would be protective, too.” He glanced up at Nic. “Don’t be so worried, little brother. I’ve always taken good care of him, haven’t I?”

That was true. Vittorio had always taken _very_ good care of Chris; they wouldn't have continued this if he hadn't. Nic let out a sigh and put a hand on his brother’s knee. That was as intimate as they would get, most likely. He would kiss Vittorio again if Chris wanted to see it, but no more. All that he wanted was to please his beloved Christopher.

And Christopher looked most pleased with the attention Vittorio was giving him. They were kissing now, slow and gentle, while Vittorio finished unbuttoning Chris’s shirt and pulled it open. Chris seemed lost in the kiss, but Vittorio’s eyes were open and alert as silk fell away from scarred skin. Watching his brother as closely as he was, Nic caught each emotion that flashed across his brother’s face: horror, anger, sympathy.

While Chris kissed his neck, Vittorio held his hand over Chris’s chest and inclined his head just slightly in a silent question. Nic nodded. This was what Chris wanted.

“Oh, what have they done to you, sweet Scholar?” Vittorio whispered while he traced the line of a scar with fingers as gentle as Nic’s own would have been.

Chris lifted his head and drew in a breath, gathering the courage to answer, but Vittorio stopped him with a finger on his lips.

“Shh, darling, I wasn’t asking you to explain.” He went back to exploring the scars. Chris let out a little sigh and relaxed into the touch. Vittorio kissed his hair. “There... you like that, don’t you? Shall we ask my brother to help?”

“Mmm, yes. Kiss me, Nic,” Chris said, though his lips went back to Vittorio’s neck as soon as he’d spoken. Not looking for a kiss on the mouth, then.

Nic took Chris’s free hand and started there, kissing each finger while he watched his brother’s hand move over his lover’s chest. It looked like casual exploration, but Nic could see the care Vittorio took. 

He’d found one of the larger burns, and he began at the edge of it, so light his fingers seemed to barely touch the twisted and discolored skin, and he murmured in Chris’s ear, “Oh, this one's sensitive, isn’t it? Nice and light like this? Hmm, no, more like this... there.” Chris answered not in words, but in hums and sighs, and Vittorio followed those cues. He always had been an attentive lover.

Finished covering Chris’s hand with kisses, Nic pulled it through the sleeve of his shirt to offer his arm the same adoration. With his lips to Chris’s wrist, he glanced up to see Vittorio taking the collar of the shirt in his teeth and pulling it off while Chris slipped his other arm out of its sleeve. Vittorio covered his reaction better this time, but Nic still spotted the slight widening of his eyes at the sight of Chris’s back and the tenderness of the kiss he pressed into Chris’s hair after letting the shirt drop. Meeting his brother’s eyes, Nic gave a slight nod before turning his attention back to his lover. Yes, they’d been through a lot over the past few years.

Christopher’s half-dressed body was always a sight worth appreciating, and Nic took a moment to do just that, noting the ease of his posture. He had to push down a little pang of jealousy at the sight of Chris stretching out to allow Vittorio to rub the mess of scars on his stomach. Nic remembered seeing those same scars when they were bleeding wounds that Chris hadn’t wanted him to even look at, making it a battle to bandage them properly.

_He’s healing. Be grateful for that_ , Nic told himself, tearing his eyes away from the sight of Vittorio’s fingers exploring those layered lines and returning his attention to his lover’s arm. An arm that had, despite being frighteningly thin and spotted with burns, clung to Nic through that first night. Chris had wanted to be close to him even when it hurt; no one else would ever have that honor.

Nic kissed his way up Chris's arm along a path of fading burn scars and rebuilt muscle, listening as he did to the soft sounds of lips on necks and hands on skin, Vittorio and Chris rediscovering each other. By the time Nic reached Chris's shoulder, Vittorio had shifted to work on Chris's back, leaving Chris perfectly positioned to pull in for a long, deep kiss. As Nic drank in the taste of Christopher's mouth and ran his hands through his partner's hair, Chris reached for the buttons of his shirt, and soon Nic found himself bare-chested and enjoying the feel of Chris's hands on his naked skin.

"The two of you really are beautiful together," Vittorio said, a little wistful. He was following one of the long and badly healed scars on Chris's back, his touch a bit too light. Those, along with the burns, were the ones that most frequently itched and ached, and they needed firm pressure to relieve the irritation.

"Jealous?" Nic asked, reaching around to take his brother's hand and press his fingers down harder on the scar.

Vittorio nodded at the correction and continued with a firmer touch. "So long as you'll share this treasure of yours with me from time to time? Not in the least."

"Share me all you like," Chris said. "Just do go a little lower. Ah, yes, perfect." He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Nic's neck and resting his head against Nic's collarbone. "Rub my shoulders a little, will you, my love?"

"Of course." Nic nuzzled his partner's hair as he searched for the points of tension. The gray was starting to overtake the black, but it remained silky and fragrant and irresistible as ever.

Chris sighed with satisfaction when Nic got the right spot, and he seemed utterly content with the two brothers' hands on him, having muscles and scars tended at once. He luxuriated in the attention, arching into the touches he liked best, whimpering when hands moved too soon from pleasant spots, moaning with deep satisfaction when their combined efforts most pleased him. One of the greatest advantages of allowing Vittorio to join them was that Chris liked a lot of sensation, and four hands could do far more than two. After all the pain he'd endured, Chris deserved every bit of adoration they could give him together. 

While Nic focused his efforts on the tight knots of muscle in his partner's shoulders, Vittorio worked his way steadily downward at Chris's urging, until clothing blocked his progress. He paused there, stroking a patch of skin mottled with old burn marks, and said, "Christopher, dearest, if you want me to go any lower, I'm afraid we're going to need to get these trousers off of you."

"Mmm, go right ahead." Chris sat up, just enough to swing his legs around and turn to sit with his back against Nic, legs spread. Nic wrapped his arms around his partner to hold him there, and Chris put his hands over Nic's as he looked over at Vittorio and said with playful offense, "Not even a single button undone? Surely you don't mean to be so cruel as to deny me a look at that gorgeous body of yours while you're stripping me bare?"

"Cruel to you? No, sweet Scholar, never that," Vittorio said, sliding down to kneel on the floor between Chris's legs. Between Nic's, too, though he preferred not to think too much on that. Taking Chris's hand and kissing it, Vittorio went on, "You have had far too much of that. If it pleases you to see this old soldier's body, it is yours to see." There was a hint of wetness in his eyes as he set Chris's hand gently back in place atop Nic's and made quick work of his shirt buttons. He might not love Chris as Nic did, and Nic was glad of that, but there was love there all the same.

Nic chuckled. "Haven't you noticed, dear brother? Our Christopher has quite a taste for old soldiers' bodies."

Chris looked over his shoulder to kiss Nic's cheek. "Hush, love. You've aged like good wine." He looked back at Vittorio, and Nic heard to soft intake of breath. "Oh, you have to give me a better look at that."

Still kneeling in front of them, Vittorio had his shirt off and folded and had turned halfway to set it aside. At Chris's request, he pivoted to offer a better view of his back. Retirement, Nic saw, had been no detriment to his physique, but more strikingly, he'd finally gotten the wings, the ones he'd wanted for years, tattooed on his back. It was stunning work, the ink done in varying shades to create startlingly realistic feathers.

"Beautiful," Chris breathed. "Oh, Nic, I should get one like that."

It was an act of will to keep breathing, to resist the urge to tighten his hold on Christopher. This wasn't the first time they'd talked about having tattoos done to cover his scars. Chris had one already, their matching quill and gun, redone just recently over the scars where the original had been. He'd handled it well enough, but the pain had been bad, and it had taken several sessions to get the lines right. Nic didn't want to think about what something on the scale of his brother's wings would take. It was the old conflict all over again, his fear of seeing Chris hurt against the need to respect Chris's choices, and he knew what had to win out. "I'll get us some henna and we can play with designs," he said.

"Hmm, yes, let's," Chris said. "Now come here, pretty angel. I would have more of your heavenly touch."

"Flatterer," Vittorio said with a laugh, moving in to take hold of the top button on Christopher's trousers. "May I get these out of our way now?" He waited for Chris's nod, then slowly undid each button, looking up into Chris's face with open lust as he did. "Ah, how I have missed _this_ ," he said as he pulled down trousers and underwear together to free Chris's half-hard cock. "May I have a taste?" He licked his lips.

"A taste? You can swallow it whole," Chris said, putting a hand on Vittorio's head and pushing him down. With his other hand, he moved Nic's hands to his chest in a request that did not need to be spoken.

Looking as if his greatest desire had been granted, Vittorio opened his mouth to accept Chris's cock and lazily sucked, cupping his balls with one hand and stroking his thigh with the other. Nic matched his brother's easy pace, gently stroking Chris's chest and nuzzling his hair aside to kiss his neck. With a contented sigh, Chris leaned back into Nic's arms and shifted his hips forward to grant Vittorio easier access.

After a bit of gentle sucking, Vittorio began to explore, seemingly eager to rediscover Christopher's most sensitive parts. He licked, he nuzzled, he attended to thighs and balls, and at last settled back in to suck once more with renewed vigor.

Chris's breathing quickened, and his hips rocked to the rhythm of Vittorio's bobbing. He seemed so satisfied that Nic was surprised to see Vittorio lift his head, concern creasing his brow.

"I fear I've lost my touch with you, dear Christopher," he said, stroking Chris's still half-hard cock with his thumb while he spoke. "Tell me what will please you?"

Accustomed as he was to the idiosyncrasies of his partner's body, it took Nic a second to understand. He and Chris shared a knowing smile, and Chris said, "You are pleasing me. Greatly. Do continue."

"Trust me," Nic added, "He'll let you know if he isn't enjoying himself."

Vittorio circled the head of Chris's cock with the tip of his tongue. "Ah, a challenge, is it?" he paused to run his tongue over the top of Chris's shaft. "Or research, perhaps?" His tongue darted out again to lick first one ball, then the other. "And such delightful research it is." Another circle of head with tongue, and he drew Christopher into his mouth again, closing his eyes in concentration.

Chris reached back to tangle his fingers in Nic's hair and pull him in for a kiss. He might not have been fully hard, but there was no mistaking his arousal in the heat of that kiss. Nic was getting rather aroused himself, and he had to taker a hand from Chris's chest to reach down between them and adjust his hardening cock. Chris groaned at the hand brushing past his ass, so Nic brought it back where Chris wanted it once his cock was comfortable, kneading his lover's bottom. With his other hand, he found a nipple and rolled it between his fingers, increasing the pressure until Chris cried out, his head thrown back for an instant before he returned to their kissing with greater fervor.

Or perhaps it had been Vittorio who elicited that cry. With Chris keeping his mouth busy, Nic found it a challenge to move his head to a good angle to see what his brother was doing, but Nic could see Vittorio's head moving rapidly, Chris's hand entwined in the black and gray of his hair. He thought he felt a hand brush past his thigh; Vittorio getting a finger positioned to reach Chris's prostate, perhaps. With a gasp, Chris leaned his head back against Nic's shoulder again, the look on his face ecstatic. His muscles tensed, his grip tightened in Nic's hair, he held his breath, close to orgasm. Nic gave his nipple another pinch, his ass a tighter squeeze, his neck a soft bite, hoping any of those might be the thing to push him over the edge.

But Chris relaxed and groaned in frustration. The climax had eluded him. Nic kissed his neck, working upward toward his jaw, his hands continuing their work. Vittorio must have hesitated, and with another groan, Chris pushed his head down again. "More. Harder." At that direction, Vittorio did something that drew a deep and satisfied moan from Chris, an arching of his back and a roll of his hips that pushed Nic's hand back toward his own cock, hard and aching with need. It would have to wait; Chris needed everything he had to give now. He was tensing again, biting his lip as a desperate whine escaped him.

This time, Nic bit a little harder, Vittorio sucked him in a little deeper, their hands found the right places, somehow between them they got something right, and Chris's cry was of uninhibited pleasure. Nic held him while the orgasm, all the more powerful for the delay, coursed through him, until he sank back and let out his breath, a blissful smile on his face.

"The two of you are marvelous," Chris said, his speech slurred, turning to wrap his arm around Nic. His free hand reached across his lap and into Nic's to feel his erection through his clothes, a touch that set Nic's heart racing.

"No, that is you, sweet Scholar," Vittorio said, rising to his feet. He bent to give Chris a soft kiss. He cast a quick glance down toward the hand that Chris was slipping into Nic's trousers. "Do the two of you need a moment of privacy? Or may I gaze upon this stunning vision while I see to my own needs?"

"Go ahead," Nic said. He felt his brother withdraw, thought he heard him settle on a nearby chair, but he had no attention to spare for Vittorio. Chris's hand on his cock was a far more pressing concern.

As if he knew how urgent Nic's need was, Chris didn't waste time with teasing. As soon as he had Nic's cock free of his clothes, he wrapped his hand around the shaft with a tight grip and jerked rapidly. It wasn't a pace he could keep up for long. With his long career of writing and the old fractures in his fingers and wrist, he tired easily, but God, was it good while it lasted. Years of practice had taught him just the right way to position his hand, right where his thumb could reach to stroke the sensitive underside of the head. It was almost too much, and Nic squeezed his eyes shut, groaning at the building pressure in his groin as Chris brought him closer... closer... closer...

Nic thought he finished quickly. Chris's hand kept its strong grip and quick motion the whole time, even gave a few slow strokes to bring him down from the climax. But Vittorio was already out of the room by the time Nic opened his eyes to see Chris wiping them both clean with his discarded shirt. It was a rather lazy effort, but Chris got the worst of the mess cleaned up before he tossed the shirt aside and laid his head on Nic's shoulder, sighing with contented exhaustion. Nic had just gotten his cock put away when Vittorio returned, still shirtless, carrying Chris's red silk robe.

"I thought you might like something more comfortable to wear," he said, taking Chris's hand to help him sit upright enough to slip the robe on. "While I'm up, would either of you care for a drink?"

"Water for both of us, please," Nic said at the same time as Chris said, "We have another bottle of pinot noir, don't we?"

They locked eyes. The irritation on Chris's face was so familiar, Nic couldn't help but laugh. "All right, get the man his wine," he said, pulling his lover close again.

Chris smiled and wrapped his silk-clothed arm around Nic. Not bothering to close the robe in the front, he leaned in for a kiss. As soon as Vittorio was in the kitchen, he pulled back to rest his forehead against Nic's and whisper, "This will be the last glass, I promise. Just a little something to mark the occasion, hmm?" 

Nic nodded and kissed him again. Chris deserved to enjoy this.

They were still kissing when Vittorio came back with the wine and settled in on the couch again. He'd uncorked the bottle but not bothered with glasses, and he passed the bottle to Chris first. "To your health, dear Christopher."

Chris raised the bottle in toast. "And to both of you," he said, lifting it to his lips. While he drank, Chris swung first one leg, then the other, up across Vittorio's lap. After a long gulp, he passed the bottle to Nic, saying, "Thank you, again, my love, for inviting your brother to stay with us."

Nic, took a sip of the wine, then caught his brother's eye and winked. "He's earning his keep, then?" 

Vittorio laughed and took the bottle. "Oh, is that how it is? Well, then, my demanding host, what other services will you require of me?"

"Tonight? You have given me service enough tonight. But tomorrow..." Chris paused to look between Vittorio and Nic with a wicked gleam in his eye. "Tomorrow I would have your cock. Both of your cocks. It has been entirely too long since I had the two of you at once."

"I think we can do that, don't you, Nic?" Vittorio said, passing Chris the bottle again.

As if he would deny Chris anything. He gave Chris a kiss on the cheek and said, "We are at your service, _amore mio_."

After another deep drink of wine, Chris passed the bottle to Nic and laid his head on his shoulder, his body relaxing against Nic's. He waved the bottle off with a lazy hand when it came around to him again, leaving Nic and Vittorio to finish the rest. Vittorio draped an arm around Nic's shoulders to stroke Chris's hair, eliciting a sigh of satisfaction. They talked quietly, of literature and the weather, with Chris's responses growing shorter and his breathing calmer until he was altogether silent and Nic was not surprised to look down and see his partner's eyes closed.

Nic took a drink, held the bottle up to see only a sip left, and passed the bottle. "We wore him out," he said with a smile.

"Go on and take him to bed," Vittorio said, taking the bottle and standing. "You said you have the spare room set up for me?"

"Yes," Nic said. He looked down at the sleepy smile on Christopher's face. "I know he used to invite you to join us in our bed for the night, but..."

Vittorio drank the last of the wine. "The nights are still hard for him, then?"

"Sometimes. Not so much anymore. But finding someone unexpected there...." Nic didn't particularly want to think of how Chris, disoriented from sleep, might react to waking up with an extra person in the bed, even someone he liked as much as Vittorio.

"...that could be a problem. I understand. It isn't any trouble." He tousled Nic's hair, a fond smile on his face. "Good night, little brother. Thank you again for allowing me to share that precious treasure of yours." With that, he was off down the hall toward the spare bedroom.

Nic gathered his sleeping partner in his arms, careful not to disturb him, and carried him to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vittorio Santi is back in Alexandria, and that means it's time to fulfill all of Christopher Wolfe's fantasies of having the two Santi brothers at once. On the second day, the brothers compete to see who can please Chris most, and Chris gets as many orgasms as he can handle.

"Ah, wonderful, my two beautiful soldiers have returned." Reclining on the couch in his red silk robe with a book in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, Christopher Wolfe had never looked more gorgeous. In contrast with the previous night's shyness, this afternoon he let his robe hang loose to display a glimpse of his chest and a peek of a lean-muscled leg draped across the couch. He wore his reading glasses low on his nose, as if in preparation to deliver condescending glares to any who disrupted his reading.

Niccolo Santi, Lord Commander of the High Garda, would have been quite pleased to be on the receiving end of one of those glares. Something about Chris acting smug and superior always got his blood pumping.

By the sound of the sharp intake of breath beside him, Vittorio, Nic's older brother and newly-minted head of security to the Archivist of the Great Library, would have enjoyed a condescending glare as well. Or maybe it was just the sight of Chris in that robe.

God, Chris looked good in red.

"This is a pleasant surprise," Nic said while his eyes followed the line of the robe's seam. "I thought you had to work today."

With the book still in his hand, Chris gave him a dismissive wave. It looked like one of the new, lightweight printed novels Jess and Thomas were experimenting with. A romance, judging by the woodcut image of a couple in passionate embrace on the cover. "As did you. And yet, it seems we have all managed to complete the day's tasks early. I propose we celebrate in bed." He flipped the book over to set it down on the table, still open, cover-side up, and rose to his feet with a luxurious stretch. As the robe settled around him, a bulge became prominently visible between his legs.

"Well," Vittorio said, "It appears our dear Christopher has urgent need of us. Let's not keep him waiting."

His own trousers starting to feel tight, Nic followed his partner and his brother to the bedroom.

* * *

Chris sat on the edge of the bed, eyeing both Nic and Vittorio with his usual scrutiny, particularly effective with his glasses still on. "The two of you are entirely overdressed."

"I must confess," Vittorio said with a sly smile at Nic, "That I have forgotten how to get out of these High Garda uniforms. Give me a hand with this jacket, will you, dear brother?"

"Certainly," Nic said with a matching smile, stepping in to unfasten the buttons that descended in a neat, straight row down the front of his brother's jacket. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chris lick his lips and shift to sit with his legs further apart. "I suppose you'll be needing assistance with the rest as well?"

"Of course." Vittorio reached for Nic's jacket. "And I will return the favor."

Chris took a long sip of wine, watching over the rim of his glass as Nic got Vittorio out of his uniform jacket and started on his brother's shirt. When he slipped the jacket from his brother's shoulders, Nic pulled Vittorio in for a kiss. They kept their tongues apart, but Nic let his hands roam over Vittorio's back and down to untuck his shirt, and Vittorio got Nic out of his jacket before their lips parted. Over Vittorio's shoulder, Nic could see Chris licking his lips.

Taking hold of the collar of Nic's shirt, Vittorio brought his lips down to Nic's neck, getting a pleased sigh from Chris and taking the opportunity to whisper, "Mind if I rip this off?" in Nic's ear.

Nic nodded his permission, and watched Chris's face as his brother tore his shirt off, sending buttons flying. All but openly drooling now, Chris leaned back on one hand, the other pulling his robe aside to expose his growing erection. Nic pretended not to notice anything but the shirt he was in the process of removing, pulling his brother close to whisper, "Who do you think is more the cause of that?"

Vittorio spun around to hold Nic from behind while he unfastened Nic's belt. "Oh, competitive tonight, are you?" he murmured. "Shall we make a game of it? Who can please our dear Christopher the most?"

"I can hear you, you know," Chris said dryly, reaching for the wineglass he'd left on the bedside table. "But please, by all means, compete for my favor."

Stepping out of trousers and underwear, Nic changed positions with his brother, standing slightly to the side so that his hardening cock would stay visible to Christopher. "How shall we keep score?" he asked, pulling Vittorio's belt loose. "By orgasms? I'll have you know my record is four in a night."

"Hmm." Vittorio stretched, long and luxurious, showing off his well-developed muscles while Nic worked to free him of his trousers. "But then the first to have a go will have the advantage, don't you think?"

"I ought to be the one to keep score, I should think. Who better than myself to judge my own pleasure?" Chris paused for another sip of wine, considering the two brothers. "For the first contest, let us see what you both can accomplish with hands alone." He set down the wineglass and shrugged off his robe with a vulpine grin.

Nic and Vittorio moved as one, but Vittorio had been standing closer, so he was the first to lay his hand on Chris's cock. "The prize is mine," he said, dropping to his knees between Chris's legs to stroke Chris's erection with both hands.

With a sigh of mock defeat, Nic climbed onto the bed to sit behind Chris. He could play the longer game, let Vittorio win this first battle while he won the war. He took Chris's glasses between his thumb and forefinger. "Will you be needing these?"

"Now that you're both so close? Hardly."

Nic lifted the glasses away, folding them and placing them on the table beside the wineglass. "Good. That will make it easier to do this." He sunk both hands into his lover's graying hair, pulling just slightly as he combed his fingers through the tangled strands.

"Ah, perfect," Chris purred, leaning back into the touch. "I should note, Vittorio darling, that credit for the orgasm may not go entirely to the one providing genital stimulation. An orgasm, after all, may be the product of a great many factors, and who is to say it might not be a hand in my hair that pushes me over the edge?" He looked over his shoulder to wink at Nic.

"I am at a terrible disadvantage then, sweet Scholar," Vittorio said. He had a hand on Chris's balls now, gently pulling while he slowly ran his hand up and down Chris's shaft. "Surely my brother is far more knowledgeable than I in the subject of giving you pleasure."

"Hmm." Chris lifted his hips, pressing into Vittorio's hands. "But you have the advantage of novelty, and that is no small thing. No, my lovely soldiers, I think the two of you equally matched in this contest."

"So you want novelty tonight, do you?" Vittorio looked thoughtfully down at Chris's erection, bringing his hand up to focus his attention on the head with quick, light squeezes that made Chris tip his head back and gasp. "Novelty... and intensity, yes?" Keeping that hand in place, he reached over to the bedside table for the bottle of oil they kept there, opening it one-handed to drizzle a thin stream onto his other hand. The lubrication allowed him to quicken his fluttering squeezes of Chris's head, making Chris groan and buck his hips.

Not to be outdone, Nic took one hand from Christopher's hair and licked his thumb and forefinger before applying them to his partner's nipple with the precise pressure that he knew Chris preferred. That got another hungry moan from him, and Chris leaned further back against Nic, hard enough that Nic shifted to one side to allow him to lie down. Chris seemed more comfortable in that position, his hips moving freely while Vittorio worked on his oiled cock and Nic attended to hair and nipples both.

With his head tipped back across Nic's lap, Chris's neck was perfectly exposed for kissing, and Nic had to fight the urge to do just that. Chris wouldn't reward him for breaking the rules of the contest. Instead, he tightened his grip on his lover's hair, pulling his head further back, and drew his nails lightly over the soft skin of Chris's throat. Chris let out another groan, his eyes flaring wide before they squeezed shut. His jaw clenched, his body tensed, and a moment later, he sighed with deep relief.

Glancing downward, Nic saw Vittorio licking his fingers clean. "Have I performed to your satisfaction, dear Christopher?" Vittorio asked.

"One point to Vittorio," Chris panted. "Help him clean me up, Nic? I'll count that in your favor for this next round." Chris sat up, grinning as he watched Nic move around to kneel beside Vittorio on the floor. "And I think I will allow the use of your mouths for this round."

A few pearls of thick fluid shimmered on Chris's stomach, and Nic leaned in to lick them up, starting at the edge of the sharp line of Chris's hip bone and working his way inward over the ridges of scar tissue that marked his partner's abdomen. Finished cleaning his own fingers, Vittorio moved in to join him, their shoulders pressing together as they gave Chris a more thorough cleaning than was necessary for so small a mess.

Their noses touched over Chris's groin. The pull of Christopher's hand in his hair directed Nic's face closer to his brother's. No need to ask what Chris wanted. Nic met his brother's lips and found the touch of Vittorio's tongue on his own almost pleasant, tasting as strongly as he did of Chris.

A brief joining of their mouths, and then Chris pushed them both down toward his cock, already rising again in an unusually quick recovery. But then, they were acting out one of Chris's favorite fantasies. They took him together, lips to either side of his shaft and sliding downward until each sucked a ball while Chris moaned his appreciation. Their eyes met, and Vittorio winked.

"I'll let you have the prize this time, little brother," Vittorio said, drawing back with one last lick along Chris's growing erection. "There is another use of my hands that I would like to demonstrate, if I may, dear Scholar?" He climbed onto the bed, wrapping an arm around Chris's shoulders and pulling him in for a kiss on the neck.

"Hmm... you have my interest. Go on, then, show me."

Vittorio rose onto his knees, lifting Chris with him so that Nic had to move onto the bed to continue licking his partner's cock. Kneeling behind Chris, Vittorio coated one hand with oil and wrapped his other arm around Chris to hold him steady. Though he couldn't see precisely what his brother's oiled hand was doing, Nic had a good enough idea, and he glanced up at his brother as he drew his tongue over Christopher's erection. Vittorio, with his mouth on Chris's neck, met Nic's eyes and, after a moment, nodded.

Nic swallowed his lover's cock whole in the same instant as Vittorio pressed his finger into Chris's ass, and Chris rewarded their coordinated effort with a truly delicious cry.

Until his lungs demanded air, Nic held his partner's cock in his throat, savoring the fullness and the sounds of the soft sighs Chris let out between kisses from Vittorio. Chris squirmed between Vittorio's hand and Nic's mouth, making it necessary for Nic to hold Chris by the hips while he rose up to catch his breath. He spared only an instant to glance up while he inhaled, taking in the sight of Chris, his back arched, his neck stretched out to look over his shoulder and meet Vittorio's lips. Beautiful.

A drop of fluid on Nic's tongue as he stroked it over Chris's head told him that Vittorio had found Chris's prostate and the right application of pressure. Nic bobbed back down, and as he did, a thin, warbling moan rose from his partner. Chris tensed beneath his hands. Grasping fingers tightened in Nic's hair, urging him to quicken his pace. He was glad to oblige, switching to firmer strokes of his tongue as he swallowed down the steady trickle of liquid that dripped into his mouth while Vittorio massaged Chris's prostate.

Though Nic had expected to have to work harder for it, Chris's second orgasm came more easily than the first. It seemed he had been at work on Chris's cock for no time at all when Chris pulled him in with a cry muffled by Vittorio's mouth, thrusting free of Nic's hands to bury his length in Nic's throat. Just as quickly, Chris pushed Nic away, foregoing the gentle sucking he usually enjoyed after an orgasm to collapse, panting, against Vittorio.

"Enough," Chris panted. "Let me catch my breath."

A quick wipe of his oiled hand on the sheets, and Vittorio laid Chris back while Nic arranged pillows beneath his head and shoulders. "All right, my love?" Nic asked, brushing Chris's hair back from his face.

"More than all right, thanks to you. I'll grant you the victory in this round, by the way, dear Nic." Chris grinned up at him, his face sweaty and flushed with pleasure. "But if I'm to have both of your cocks tonight - and I _will_ have both of your cocks tonight - I will need a moment's rest."

"Are you still intent on having us both at once?" Vittorio asked, offering Chris his wine.

Chris pushed up on one arm and took the glass. He drained it in a gulp and said, "Such a dutiful soldier you are to remember my request. Yes, I most certainly am." Passing Vittorio the empty glass, he flopped back down onto the pillows.

"Take your time, love," Nic said, stroking his partner's cheek. It warmed his heart to see Chris enjoying himself like this, entirely focused on the pleasure of the evening without any intrusion from the past. Days like this were coming more often for them both now, and the last thing he wanted to do was rush Chris and ruin it. His cock yearned for its turn, but it could wait as long as Chris required.

"Yes, do," Vittorio agreed, rubbing slow circles on Chris's chest. "Shall I bring you more wine?"

"Not now," Chris said. "But I shall hold you to that offer later, when I've worked up more of a thirst. The next thing I want to taste, dear Vittorio, is your cock. It has been entirely too long since I last had you in my mouth."

"Hmm. If I'm to have your mouth..." Vittorio shifted toward the end of the bed. "You'll need to be looser and wetter for Nic, won't you?" His fingers traced their way over Christopher's thigh. "I could help with that, if you like." He bent to follow the trail of his fingers with his tongue.

Nic knew what Chris's answer would be even before he spoke his agreement, and grabbed another pillow to set under his partner's hips, comfortably elevating them to give Vittorio better access. When he'd finished, Chris pulled him in for a sweet and lazy kiss, cut off abruptly when Vittorio got himself into position and drew his tongue over the crack between Chris's cheeks.

"Mmm, good," Chris sighed. "Nice and slow, just like that."

With Chris's legs draped over his shoulders, Vittorio parted Chris's cheeks and circled his tongue over the sensitive skin around Chris's entrance. That was all Nic saw, as Chris brought him back in for another kiss, this one with more heat. Chris worked his way down to Nic's neck, one hand creeping down over Nic's chest. Down to his stomach. His groin. His hard and aching cock.

"So hard for me," Chris murmured. "And so patient. I should reward that, shouldn't I?" His hand slid up and down Nic's shaft, teasingly light.

Even that was enough to make Nic groan. "I'm not going to last long for you if you keep that up."

Chris opened his mouth to speak, but only a moan emerged. "Gods, Vittorio, right there, don't stop." He sank into the pillow, has hand falling from Nic's cock.

"That's right," Nic said softly, pausing to kiss his ear. "You just focus on relaxing for me. I can wait until you're ready."

"And what are you going to do when I am?" He looked relaxed already, reclined with eyes half closed, his hips rocking slowly in time with the wet sounds of Vittorio's tongue. Still only half hard, but Nic wasn't particularly concerned about that. Nothing Chris wanted to do would require him to be hard.

"That depends," Nic said between kisses to Chris's neck, "On what you want. Shall I fuck you slowly and gently while you savor my brother's cock? Or..." He wrapped a curl of Chris's hair around one finger, giving a firm pull. "Maybe you'd rather be pounded from both ends?"

"Ah... Some of both, perhaps." Chris smiled, leaning his head back to offer more of his neck for kissing. "A little attention for my cock now, dear Nic? Lightly, please, it won't take much."

Surprising that he wanted any attention there at all yet. Nic hadn't expected Chris to be ready for another orgasm so soon. But there were the signs, when he looked more closely. Chris bit his lip, his fingers tightening on the sheets, his breath quickening. With great care, Nic cupped Chris's cock in his hand and ran his thumb over the head, pushing back the foreskin. Two strokes to the exposed head, and Chris came. A quiet shiver of an orgasm with only a few drops of semen leaking out onto Nic's thumb.

Nic took his hand from his lover's overstimulated cock and licked his thumb clean while Chris nuzzled his neck.

"So good, both of you," Chris said. "But the point goes to Vittorio, of course."

Resting his head against Chris's thigh, Vittorio said, "That gives me the lead."

Nic chuckled. "I have every intention of reclaiming it in the next round."

"I do think all the blood has gone from one of your heads to the other, brother dear," Vittorio said, running his nails up and down Chris's thigh. "Even if you take the next victory, the score will be even."

"Oh, but that assumes I earn only a single point," Nic pointed out. He reached down past his brother to squeeze his lover's ass. "I intend to perform better than that."

Laughing, Chris rolled on top of Nic, pinning him down for a kiss. Nose to nose with Nic, his long hair hanging around Nic's face, he said, "Dangerous for you to set too high of expectations, my love."

"Only if I don't intend to meet them." Nic allowed Chris to silence further boasting with another long kiss.

Coming up beside them, Vittorio sat back against the headboard and ran his nails down Chris's back, making Chris squirm with pleasure. That squirming ground his hips against Nic's, rubbing the velvety flesh of his cock against Nic's straining erection.

Nic was going to come if they kept this up. With a groan, he took hold of Chris's hips and lifted them up until their cocks no longer touched. "Beloved, I am starting to think you are deliberately sabotaging my chances so you can award the victory to my brother."

Swinging his leg over to sit on the bed, next to Nic and in front of Vittorio, Chris looked down at Nic with exaggerated disdain. "I would never stoop so low as to rig the contest," he said with mock affront, a twitch of his lips betraying his amusement. "But if you're so concerned... Vittorio, dear, reach in that drawer there and find me Nic's cock ring?"

Vittorio reached into the drawer and rummaged around one-handed. The other hand, Nic realized with a quick glance downward, lazily stroked his cock. He pulled out a short strap of leather and held it up. "This one?"

"Yes. The steel won't go on when he's this hard." Chris took the cock ring and turned to Nic. "An acceptable solution, my love?"

Nic cast a glance at Vittorio, raising an eyebrow, "Assuming my brother doesn't think it will give me an unfair advantage?"

Vittorio patted Nic's shoulder. "Not in the least. Anything that will assist you in giving our sweet Scholar pleasure is acceptable to me, and I trust that he will consider my generosity favorably when he tallies the score." Grinning deviously, Vittorio winked at Chris.

"Suck-up," Nic said, playfully swatting his brother's hand away while opening his legs to give Chris easier access to his cock.

"Oh, hush, love. It is I who will be doing the _sucking up_ , as we have already established." Chris wrapped the band of leather around Nic's cock and tightened it until Nic could feel his pulse hammering in his engorged erection. "There," Chris said in a tone of silky satisfaction, his eyes roving hungrily over Nic's length. "Are you ready to use that on me now?"

Nic pushed up onto his elbows. "As soon as you give the word. Do you want me from behind? On top?"

Chris's eyes swept over the bed in a quick assessment. "Vittorio looks so comfortable there," he said, moving onto his hands and knees to crawl between Vittorio's legs. "I'll have his cock just like this, and you can give me yours from behind." Extending his tongue, he licked Vittorio's thigh, stopping just short of his cock. With a quick glance over his shoulder at Nic and a vulpine grin, he wiggled his hips.

Vittorio spread his legs wide and drew Chris in with both hands in his hair, giving a contented sigh. "Ah, sweet Scholar, let me feel more of that lovely tongue."

While Chris teased Vittorio with short, light flicks of his tongue, Nic moved into position behind him. He appreciated Chris's choice of position. It was possible, if he wanted, to keep his focus entire on Chris, not even looking at Vittorio, let alone touching him. Nic didn't avoid looking entirely. As long as he didn't think too hard about whose cock it was, watching Chris suck cock was an arousing sight.

A quick check with his finger showed that Vittorio had prepared Chris well. His entrance proved soft and yielding, drawing Nic's finger into the heat within.

"I asked for your _cock_ ," Chris groaned into Vittorio's groin.

"And you shall have it," Nic said. He positioned himself with his head at Chris's entrance. Tempting as it was to thrust right in, he held himself there and slowly drizzled oil over his erection, taking his time to rub it in while Chris squirmed impatiently. Only when he'd drawn things out as long as he possibly could did he press inward, one inch at a time into his lover's welcoming warmth. Giving a deep and satisfied moan, Chris pressed back to meet him until he was fully sheathed. Taking a moment to savor the feeling of being inside Chris, Nic leaned over his partner's back, leaving a trail of kisses along his spine.

That path brought Nic closer than he found comfortable to parts of Vittorio he would rather avoid, but there was no chance of touching, as Chris had taken Vittorio's entire length into his throat. With his lips right by Chris's ear, Nic whispered, "You like this, don't you? Being filled up from both ends."

Chris hummed his agreement around Vittorio's cock, his hips wriggling against Nic's.

"Oh yes, you're spoiled, aren't you?" Vittorio murmured, picking up from Nic's cue. While Nic lifted himself back up, Vittorio ran his hands over Chris's shoulders and down his back. "You get to have both of our cocks all to yourself, as much as you want." He held his lower body entirely still, letting Chris set the pace.

Bracing himself with one hand on Chris's hip, Nic gently squeezed his partner's ass with his other hand while he pulled slowly back, then thrust just as slowly back in, a leisurely rhythm he could keep up for a long time if Chris desired it. With the cock ring on, this wouldn't be enough stimulation to make him come, good as it felt, but he ignored his body's pleas to move faster. The payoff at the end would be well worth his patience. Once he'd established a rhythm that had Chris moaning, he let his free hand creep around to brush Chris's cock.

With a sharp cry, Chris bucked his hips. "Too much," he gasped. "Wait until I'm closer." At that, he returned his mouth to Vittorio's erection.

"Hear that, Vittorio? We've overworked him already." Nic moved his hand to Chris's lower back, where he made small circles with his nails. "Tired his cock out, our poor Christopher."

Vittorio chuckled. "How fortunate that there are so many other ways to please him." He stroked Chris's cheek, a surprisingly tender gesture given that his cock was currently buried in Chris's throat. "Would you like for us to overwork the rest of you, too? Give you so much pleasure you can't bear another touch?"

Christopher's desperate moan gave a clear answer to that question. His head began to bob more quickly between Vittorio's legs, and Nic picked up his own pace to match. He could feel the pressure building in him now. Though the cock ring still held his climax at a distance, each thrust into Chris pushed him a little closer to that goal. Nic could hear himself panting, feel himself sweating, while Chris rocked beneath him.

In front of Chris, Vittorio sat with his head back against the headboard, eyes closed and thighs trembling with the effort to hold himself still. His hands shook as they combed through Chris's hair. Occupied as he was, Nic didn't see what Chris did to get Vittorio's attention, but he did see his brother open his eyes and bend over to murmur to Chris, "Ready for more? Should we go faster? Or maybe you want it rough now?"

The answer came as a barely intelligible groan, spoken around Vittorio's cock. "Please."

"Well, I think we can oblige that, don't you, big brother?" Nic asked, digging his fingers harder into Chris's hip.

"Oh yes," Vittorio said. He tangled his hands in Chris's hair, getting a good, firm grip. "I think we can."

Together, they thrust into Chris, filling him suddenly and completely. Holding Chris by the hair, Vittorio let go of his control over his hips, letting himself fuck Chris's throat at a pace that Nic knew to be right at the edge of Chris's tolerance. Nic held himself back just a moment, just long enough to verify by his partner's pleased sounds that Chris was enjoying the challenge, and then he let go of his own control. Each pounding strike against his prostate made Chris wriggle and groan, those wild movements and delicious sounds pushing Nic closer to his own climax. He thought he might be at the edge, but the pressure kept building. Gritting his teeth, he thrust faster, harder.

"Nic, please."

Wrapped up as he was in pleasure and need, Nic only just barely grasped the meaning of Chris's muffled groan. His cock. He was ready to be touched. Without slowing, Nic reached a hand around to hold his partner's cock, fully hard again, and give it a good, hard pull. Crying out with wordless need, Chris bucked against Nic, driving himself against both hand and cock until, with a final cry, he collapsed. The spasms of his muscles as he climaxed pushed Nic to the edge.

But not over.

Nic caught his partner, calming his own movements to a gentle rocking by force of will. He gritted his teeth, aching from the lessening sensation, the orgasm moving beyond his reach.

Lifting himself on wobbly arms from Vittorio's lap, Chris looked over his shoulder at Nic. "Finish," he said in a voice slurred with pleasure. "Vittorio, hold me."

"Certainly, my lovely Scholar," Vittorio said, a little breathless. Somewhere in that pounding madness, he'd evidently found his climax. Wrapping his arms around Chris, he pulled Chris up, coming onto his knees to hold Chris securely against his chest.

Chris threw his arms around Vittorio's shoulders and buried his face in Vittorio's neck. "Mm, thank you," he mumbled. "Go on, love. Hard as you want."

Gently, Nic kissed his partner's shoulder, nuzzling his hair. He would have settled for finishing himself off with his hand, and here Chris was offering his already overstimulated body. Holding Chris's hips steady with both hands, Nic pressed into his lover again, intending to quicken the pace gradually until he found something that would satisfy his need without hurting Chris. He almost froze at the sound Chris's frustrated voice.

"Nic." Chris groaned. "Go harder. I can't even feel that." In case that didn't get the point across, he shoved his hips back onto Nic's cock, hard enough that he had to lean on Vittorio for support.

Impossible to resist so direct a request. Tightening his grip on Chris, Nic let his body move as it pleased, driving himself again and again into his lover to push himself toward completion.

"Yes, more," Chris panted.

"You insatiable thing," Nic barely heard Vittirio's words over the pounding of his own pulse. "Four orgasms and you still want more, do you?"

"Have to... break... the tie."

Before Nic could make sense of that, the dam within him burst. His orgasm tore free as a flooding river, engulfing him entirely. With stars dancing before his eyes, he felt himself sinking back down to his knees. Chris pushed back against him, thrusting himself onto Nic's cock, still hard with the ring in place. Despite the intensity of the aftershocks rippling through him, Nic recovered enough control to hold Chris by the waist and support him as he rode, seeking a final orgasm.

To decide the contest, Nic realized through the haze. Chris wanted to decide the contest, and he wanted to push himself to a height of pleasure he hadn't attained in a very long time. That was enough to motivate Nic to move. He wouldn't stay hard much longer even with the assistance of the ring, and he had to help Chris finish. With his teeth on Chris's neck, hard enough to make him gasp, Nic reached around for his partner's erection.

But Vittorio beat him to it, bending to take Chris into his mouth. Just the head, but that alone must have been overwhelming, as Chris let out a desperate scream.

Both brothers froze. Vittorio lifted his mouth, and Nic braced himself to pick Chris up enough to get his cock out.

With a wordless cry of frustration, Chris pushed Vittorio's head back down and slammed himself onto Nic's cock.

Well. They had their orders. Nic started to press into Chris again, but it was too late. He was losing his erection, and he knew he wouldn't get it back again in time. It likely wasn't doing much good anyway, overworked as Chris's prostate was. No, Chris needed something more.

"Going to lay him down," Nic said. One-handed, he unfastened the cock ring that had outlived its usefulness and tossed it aside.

Vittorio lifted his head, and this time Chris didn't stop him, allowing them to lower him onto the bed and position him with his ass in Nic's lap, one leg over Nic's shoulder. Lying on his stomach on Chris's other side, faced toward Nic, Vittorio took Chris back into his mouth and resumed what looked like very gentle suction. With Chris's cock so sensitive from overuse, even that was enough to make Chris clench his jaw, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

Nic poured more oil onto his hand. Too much, but this was no time for subtlety. Four fingers went into Chris with ease, and the rest of his hand proved no more difficult. Chris's ass seemed to draw him in, hungry for greater stimulation, the sphincter relaxing around his wrist and the inside hot and yielding. He and Vittorio both held Chris's hips down, keeping him from bucking as Nic found his prostate and applied pressure enough to make Chris scream again.

This time, at least, Nic recognized the sound as pleasure. Intense, painfully so, but pleasure all the same.

Chris had his hands on Vittorio's head again, pushing him down. His cries, escaping through clenched teeth, sounded like desperate pleas, though in no language Nic had ever heard.

So close. Nic kept the motions of his hand small but firm, focusing on giving his partner's prostate as much stimulation as he could. He bent his head to the leg that trembled against his shoulder, and he bit the sensitive skin of Chris's thigh, as far down as he could reach.

With a howl, Chris bucked hard against their arms. Almost there. The howl turned to a continuous, desperate whine, and Nic saw Vittorio's head bob faster.

Stretching out his neck, Nic got his teeth a little lower on his lover's thigh and bit, just as his hand pressed into Chris's prostate.

Nic could only imagine the intensity of that orgasm, forced from Chris's overworked body by their combined efforts. Chris trembled with it, his sphincter clenching tight around Nic's hand and his hands so tight in Vittorio's hair that Vittorio winced. Together, they held Chris through the aftershocks, kissing him and gently stroking his face and his arms, places well away from the parts they'd overstimulated. When Chris relaxed enough, Nic pulled his hand out, giving his partner's ass a final, soft squeeze.

Chris's eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at the two of them with a drunken smile. "Nic," he said. "Nic wins. That fist... oh, gods..."

From his place at Chris's side, Vittorio gave Nic a little bow. "I will concede gracefully, dear brother," he said. "It is only right that you should please your lovely Scholar more than I could."

"In your defense, the judge is more than a little biased," Nic said.

Chris gave him a very weak attempt at a scowl. "You both know what a capricious bastard I am," he conceded.

For that, Nic kissed him.

* * *

Claiming it the penalty of defeat, Vittorio took charge of cleanup, fetching towels and washcloths. While Chris lay boneless in blissful exhaustion, Vittorio wiped him clean with soft strokes of a warm, soapy cloth, taking particular care with his painfully sensitive ass and cock. He even changed the sheets, working with a soldier's speed while Nic stood beside the bed, Chris cradled in his arms. Once that was done, he went to retrieve the wine he had promised Chris earlier.

Lying in the bed beside Chris, Nic drew a lightweight blanket over them both and pulled his lover close. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, stroking Chris's hair.

"Good..." Chris murmured. "So good."

"After so many orgasms in quick succession, I should hope so," Nic said, and the quirk of a smile on Chris's face at that all but confirmed the suspicion that had tugged at the edge of his awareness for a while. "You took something, didn't you?"

"Don't suppose I can convince you it was the tantric sex exercises?"

Nic raised a suspicious eyebrow. Chris had been studying such practices as a potential remedy to his trouble maintaining erections, but he hadn't achieved anything near this level of success thus far. Another remedy, though, one that Chris had been more resistant to trying, might easily have had such an effect.

Chris sighed. "Fine. Yes. I tried one of those pills the Medica prescribed. I suppose it's time I admitted I'm not as young as I once was. It doesn't bother you, does it?"

"All that matters is that you enjoyed it," Nic said, and he drew Chris in for a kiss that didn't end until Vittorio returned with the wine.

He'd brought a plate of sliced meats and cheeses as well, which Chris gladly allowed them both to feed to him. He could have been a king, lounging on a pile of pillows, and they his two servants catering to his every whim.

Holding Chris's wineglass to help him drink, Nic let his mind linger on that image. Yes, that could be a very pleasurable game to play together. He would have to suggest it to them both, once Chris had recovered from this afternoon's exertions.

Today, though, Chris looked to have had all that he could take. Done with the wine, he yawned and waved off a piece of prosciutto that Vittorio offered. "Come here, both of you," he said. "Rest a while."

Around the edges of the curtains, the sunlight shone golden, but early as it was, Nic could not help yawning along with his lover. "Anything for you, my love," he said, gathering Chris into his arms.

Sighing contentedly, Chris nuzzled Nic's chest and wrapped an arm around Nic's waist.

Vittorio settled in on the other side, embracing Chris from behind. "Sleep, sweet Scholar," he whispered into Chris's hair. "You have earned your rest."

Exhausted as he was, Chris didn't take long to drift off. His eyes fell shut, and his breathing slowed to the calm rhythm of sleep. There was a rare smile on Christopher's sleeping face, and Nic drank it in like a rare and precious wine.

"He'll rest well," Vittorio whispered, lifting his head from the pillow to prop it up on one arm, the better to see Nic.

"Looks like it," Nic agreed. "Thank you for that. He hasn't enjoyed himself like this since..." The words caught in his throat, an unexpected swell of grief for all Chris had endured. After a moment, he managed a weak, "Sorry."

Vittorio shook his head. "It hits you when you least expect it, doesn't it?" He cast his eyes down, toward the feathers tattooed across his shoulder. Looking back up at Chris, his lips turned upward in a hint of a smile. "You ought to follow his example. He's going to wake up sore from all that, and it will be up to us to see he's well cared for."

"Very true," Nic said. He placed a soft kiss on his partner's lips and laid his head close enough that their noses touched. On Chris's other side, he heard Vittorio settling in as well.

Had it been night, had Chris looked less content, that might have made Nic nervous. But in that moment, Nic could think of no safer, more comfortable place for Chris to sleep than in the arms of the two brothers who loved him. 


End file.
